In order to build a multi-cellular organism and to regulate cellular functions, cells need to communicate with each other, as well as tightly regulate their behaviour in response to environmental changes. For these purposes all eukaryotic cells express a large number of membrane spanning receptors that either themselves contain catalytic activity or via cytoplasmic effector enzymes, function to transmit “signals” from the cell exterior to induce appropriate responses within the cell. Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) are important signalling molecules, represented by the transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in addition to the cytoplasmic non-receptor PTKs, which alter cell behaviour by phosphorylating target proteins. An additional requirement for proper signalling and multicellular organisation is the adhesion between cells as well as adhesion of cells to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Adhesion between cells and the ECM is mainly mediated by the integrin family of cell surface receptors, which functions as a structural link between the ECM and the actin cytoskeleton as well as important centres for signalling. Mammalian studies have implicated the cytoplasmic Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK), as a major transmitter of signalling emanating from integrins, regulating cell migration, survival, proliferation and differentiation. In our studies of the sole FAK family member in Drosophila, Fak56, we have concluded that the deletion of Fak56 from the fruit fly genome causes no obvious defects in integrin-mediated adhesion, migration or signalling in vivo. Consequently, in contrast to the embryonic lethality observed in mouse knockouts, Fak56 mutant flies are both viable and fertile. However, we do find a clear genetic interaction between Fak56 and Drosophila integrins. Additionally, overexpression studies indeed indicate Fak56 as a negative regulator of integrin adhesion, given that excess Fak56 protein phenocopies loss of integrin function, causing phenotypes such as muscle detachment and wing blistering. In Drosophila, as well as in mammals, FAK family proteins are highly abundant in the CNS and in our studies we have identified a requirement of Fak56 in synaptic transmission at neuromuscular junctions. Lack of Fak56 causes a weakening of action potential conduction, resulting in sensitivity to high-frequency mechanical and electrical stimulation, manifested by epileptic-like seizures and paralysis in Fak56 mutants, a phenotype known as Bang Sensitivity (BS) in flies. We also show that Fak56 phosphorylation is directly modulated in response to alterations in intracellular calcium levels, supporting a role for Fak56 in neurotransmission. Fak56 is directly activated by the Drosophila Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase, DAlk, receptor which was identified in our lab. We characterised DAlk as a novel RTK that is expressed in the embryonic CNS and mesoderm where it drives activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway. Indeed, we found DAlk to ectopically induce protein tyrosine phosphorylation and specifically phosphorylation of ERK, resulting in autonomous cell transformation and uncontrolled tissue growth. Subsequently, we identified a requirement for DAlk function during Drosophila embryogenesis, where it displays an essential role in gut development. Specifically, we identified the secreted molecule Jelly belly (Jeb) as a ligand for DAlk and showed that Jeb-DAlk interaction activates an ERK-mediated signalling pathway essential for visceral muscle specification and fusion, and consequently formation of the gut. The potent ability of PTKs to regulate cell behaviour, together with the strong linkage between RTK dysregulation and tumour formation, renders the negative regulation of kinase activity an important area of research. We have identified the Drosophila homologue of Cbl-interacting protein of 85kDa, dCIN85, an adaptor molecule which in mammalian cells has shown involvement in RTK endocytosis and downregulation, as well as in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics. In the fruit fly, dCIN85 displays essential functions, given that dCIN85 loss of function mutants display a grand-child less phenotype. Generation of a dCIN85 antibody, together with isoform-specific transgenic flies, have allowed us to observe a punctuate localization pattern of the SH3-domain containing dCIN85 variants, representing Rab5-positive endosomal structures. This, in addition to the confirmation of a direct dCIN85-dCbl interaction, indicates an evolutionary conservation of dCIN85 function. Interestingly, dCIN85 co-localises with dRICH1, a Cdc42 specific RhoGAP, in differentiated photoreceptor cells in eye imaginal discs. This may imply a role for dCIN85 in the regulation of the specialised endocytic recycling processes required for the assembly/maintenance of tight junctions and establishment of cell polarity in epithelial tissues.

The ErbB family of receptors are key regulators of growth, differentiation, migration and survival of epithelial cells. CI-1033 is an irreversible pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has the ability to inhibit EGFR function but has shown limited therapeutic efficacy. Lovastatin targets the activity of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting step in the mevalonate pathway. In this study, the ability of lovastatin to potentiate the cytotoxic effects of CI-1033 was evaluated. The combination of lovastatin and CI-1033 exhibited some cooperative cytotoxic activity in a squamous cell carcinoma–derived cell line. This combination resulted in enhanced cell death by induction of a potent apoptotic response. Furthermore, this drug combination inhibited EGF-induced EGFR autophosphorylation and activation of the downstream signaling effectors, ERK and AKT. These findings suggest that combining lovastatin and tyrosine kinase inhibitors may represent a novel combinational therapeutic approach in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Radioresistance is a major cause of treatment failure and relapse in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Novel molecular targets need to be identified to increase cure rates and radiosensitivity in HNSCC. The MET receptor tyrosine kinase is highly dysregulated in cancer and plays a role in tumourigenesis, chemoresistance, and radioresistance. However, the role of MET in HNSCC radioresistance has not yet been investigated and may potentially be a radiosensitizing target. We discovered MET expression and intact ligand-induced signalling in HNSCC cell lines. Small molecule MET kinase inhibitors inhibited ligand-induced MET activation and downstream signalling. These inhibitors decreased HNSCC cell proliferation and clonogenic survival. Similarly, short-interfering RNAs targeting MET also decreased cell proliferation. The combination of radiation with the MET kinase inhibitors decreased clonogenic survival in an additive manner. Cell cycle analyses demonstrated that MET inhibitors alone or in combination with radiation induced small increases in sub-G1 cell populations.

Radioresistance is a major cause of treatment failure and relapse in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Novel molecular targets need to be identified to increase cure rates and radiosensitivity in HNSCC. The MET receptor tyrosine kinase is highly dysregulated in cancer and plays a role in tumourigenesis, chemoresistance, and radioresistance. However, the role of MET in HNSCC radioresistance has not yet been investigated and may potentially be a radiosensitizing target. We discovered MET expression and intact ligand-induced signalling in HNSCC cell lines. Small molecule MET kinase inhibitors inhibited ligand-induced MET activation and downstream signalling. These inhibitors decreased HNSCC cell proliferation and clonogenic survival. Similarly, short-interfering RNAs targeting MET also decreased cell proliferation. The combination of radiation with the MET kinase inhibitors decreased clonogenic survival in an additive manner. Cell cycle analyses demonstrated that MET inhibitors alone or in combination with radiation induced small increases in sub-G1 cell populations.

The ErbB family of receptors are key regulators of growth, differentiation, migration and survival of epithelial cells. CI-1033 is an irreversible pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has the ability to inhibit EGFR function but has shown limited therapeutic efficacy. Lovastatin targets the activity of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting step in the mevalonate pathway. In this study, the ability of lovastatin to potentiate the cytotoxic effects of CI-1033 was evaluated. The combination of lovastatin and CI-1033 exhibited some cooperative cytotoxic activity in a squamous cell carcinoma–derived cell line. This combination resulted in enhanced cell death by induction of a potent apoptotic response. Furthermore, this drug combination inhibited EGF-induced EGFR autophosphorylation and activation of the downstream signaling effectors, ERK and AKT. These findings suggest that combining lovastatin and tyrosine kinase inhibitors may represent a novel combinational therapeutic approach in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by the Philadelphia chromosome, a minute chromosome that leads to the creation of the fusion gene BCR/ABL and the transcription of the fusion protein BCR/ABL in transformed cells. The constitutively active tyrosine kinase BCR/ABL confers enhanced proliferation and survival on leukemic cells. CML has in only a few decades gone from being a disease with very bad prognosis to being a disease that can be effectively treated with oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). TKIs are drugs inhibiting BCR/ABL as well as other tyrosine kinases. In this thesis, the focus has been on the immune system of CML patients, on immune escape mechanisms present in untreated patients and on how these are affected by TKI therapy. We have found that newly diagnosed, untreated CML patients exert different kinds of immune escape mechanisms. Patients belonging to the Sokal high-risk group had higher levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) as well as high levels of the programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1)-expressing cytotoxic T cells compared to control subjects. Moreover, CML patients had higher levels of myeloid cells expressing the ligand for PD-1, PD-L1. CML patients as well as patients with B cell malignacies had high levels of soluble CD25 in blood plasma. In B cell malignacies, sCD25 was found to be released from T regulatory cells (Tregs). Treatment with the TKIs imatinib or dasatinib decreased the levels of MDSCs in peripheral blood. Tregs on the other hand increased during TKI therapy. The immunostimulatory molecule CD40 as well as NK cells increased during therapy, indicating an immunostimulatory effect of TKIs. When evaluating immune responses, multiplex techniques for quantification of proteins such as cytokines and chemokines are becoming increasingly popular. With these techniques a lot of information can be gained from a small sample volume and complex networks can be more easily studied than when using for example the singleplex ELISA. When comparing different multiplex platforms we found that the absolute protein concentration measured by one platform rarely correlated with the absolute concentration measured by another platform. However, relative quantification was better correlated.

La fonction de barrière de l'endothélium vasculaire est affectée par des modifications de la cadhérine des cellules endothéliales (VE-cadhérine) telles que la phosphorylation sur tyrosine dans son domaine cytoplasmique et le clivage de son domaine extracellulaire (sVE). Ce travail s'est articulé en deux parties : 1- Etude de ces modifications dans le contexte de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde (PR), et les mécanismes sous-tendus. Ce travail a permis de montrer que la VE-cadhérine est une cible du TNFα, une cytokine essentielle dans la PR, qui induit de la libération de sVE de façon dépendante de l'activité kinase de Src, suggérant l'implication d'un mécanisme de phosphorylation sur tyrosine dans ce processus. De plus, la VE-cadhérine est aussi la cible des protéases de la matrice extracellulaire telles que MMP-2. L'application de ces données fondamentales à la clinique a permis de montrer que sVE était retrouvée dans le sang de patients PR (n=63) et que son taux était corrélé à l'activité de la maladie. Ainsi, le dosage de sVE est d'intérêt dans la prise en charge des patients. 2-Etude de la phosphorylation de la VE-cadhérine dans un contexte d'angiogenèse hormono-régulée au cours du cycle ovarien chez la souris. Les résultats ont montré que le site Y685 de la VE-cadhérine est phosphorylé dans l'ovaire et l'utérus de souris de façon régulée pendant le cycle, ce qui permet de proposer ce modèle physiologique pour étudier la phosphorylation de la VE-cadhérine in vivo. L'analyse de souris knock-in Y685F de la VE-cadhérine (VE-Y685F) a montré que l'absence du site confère une perméabilité accrue dans l'ovaire et l'utérus mais aussi dans les petits capillaires de la peau. De plus, dans deux modèles d'induction d'arthrite, les souris VE-Y685F ont présenté un taux de sVE plus élevé que les contrôles. Au total, sVE et la phosphorylation de la VE-cadhérine ont un vaste champ d'application dans le traitement de la PR ainsi que pour le développement de nouvelles thérapies pouvant s'étendre à d'autres pathologies vasculaires.

Efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy depends on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There has been an increasing interest in studying mutation-specific rabbit monoclonal antibodies of delE746-A750 mutation in exon 19 and L858R point mutation in exon 21 for detecting EGFR mutants. These two mutations account for approximately 90% of all EGFR mutations. We evaluated the two mutation-specific monoclonal antibodies for the detection of EGFR mutations by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the relationship with treatment outcome and survival. Twenty-five patients (58.1%) harbored EGFR mutations. These mutations include delE746-A750 mutation for seven patients, L858R point mutation for in eighteen patients. IHC showed, for the delE746-A750 and L858R mutations, sensitivity (57.1% and 66.7%), specificity (97.3% and 100%), positive predictive value (80.0% and 100%), and negative predictive value (94.7% and 80.6%). Analysis for progression-free survival was not correlated to IHC staining, but the overall survival was correlated to IHC staining. These mutation-specific antibodies for delE746-A750 and L858R mutations have high positive predictive value and specificity for predefined EGFR mutations and may be suitable for screening for these predefined mutations. However, negative IHC results required further mutation analyses before excluding EGFR TKI therapy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Faculty of the Division of the Biological Sciences and the Pritzker School of Medicine, Commitee on Immunology, June 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Parasitologie - Biologie moléculaire : Lille 2 : 2008. / Résumé en français et en anglais. RTK = Récepteurs Tyrosine Kinase. Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. p. 104-118.